San Diego in San Diego County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Adobe Construction

By Barry Swackhamer, December 23, 2013

1. Adobe Construction Marker

Inscription. The Casa de Aguirre, like many of Old Town’s original buildings, was constructed of adobe. Adobe bricks, flooring, roof tiles, and other materials were made locally by combining clay, sand, water and straw and pouring this mixture into wooden forms. Once the bricks and tiles were dry enough to hold their shape, the forms were removed and the blocks were left to cure in the sun. The bricks were ready after thirty days of drying time. The exterior walls of adobe houses were coated with plaster to protect them from damage by the wind, sun and rain. The present-day re-creation of the Casa de Aguirre used authentically made adobe bricks (exposed here) mortared onto an earthquake-proof substructure.

Erected by Historic Tours of America – The Nations Storyteller.

Location. 32° 45.221′ N, 117° 11.744′ W. Marker is in San Diego, California, in San Diego County. Marker can be reached from Twiggs Street near Calhoun Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4010 Twiggs Street, San Diego CA 92110, United States of America.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on January 2, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. This page has been viewed 336 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 2, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.